Netflix brews a clever solution to keep audiences coming back | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

As streaming giant Netflix (NFLX) looks forward to the second half of 2025, it’s already planning a way to outshine the first.

That’s going to be a tall order, as Netflix’s performance has already been impressive this year.

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Its Q1 earnings call in April was packed with successes, with a revenue increase of 13% and a rise in operating income and free cash flow. Netflix forecasts 2025 revenue to be at least $43 billion, which would be a double-digit increase over the previous year.

Netflix’s success can be attributed to a few different elements of its strategy.

Naturally, content plays a huge role, both in terms of continuing series that have resonated with audiences and brand-new IPs.

After releasing the highly anticipated sequel to the smash hit Korean series “Squid Game” at the end of 2024 to major accolades, Netflix also found itself with a few other hits on its hands, including “Adolescence,” season 5 of “You,” and season 7 of “Black Mirror.”

Content aside, Netflix has also seen tremendous success in an area it long resisted: its ad-supported tier. Launched in November 2022, the service has raked in 94 million users to date, proving a perfect antidote to consumer worries about inflation and reducing costs in an uncertain climate.

Another key move the company’s made is moving into the live sports arena. It kicked off that effort by broadcasting two Christmas Day National Football League (NFL) games and forging a new relationship with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

It’s also won the broadcast rights in the United States for the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, putting it in a prime position to pull in even more new fans.

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Netflix wants to tap into one of its most passionate viewer bases

When it comes to popularity of shows on Netflix, one of the top performers for the platform is “Bridgerton.”

Based on a novel series by historical romance author Julia Quinn, “Bridgerton” was a smash hit right out of the gate, with Netflix announcing back in 2021 that the show was its biggest series ever at the time, with 82 million global households watching the show in its first 28 days.

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By its third season, “Bridgerton” had broken even more records, joining the list of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time with 91.9 cumulative viewers since its May 16, 2024 premiere.

As “Bridgerton” showrunners prepare the fourth season for its 2026 debut — a two-year wait for a very fervent fanbase — Netflix is considering how to bridge the gap. And it’s found a potential solution.

Now, Netflix is brewing its next big success story by taking a classic from an era that’s already deeply resonated with viewers and retooling it for a modern audience.

Netflix adapts a classic Edith Wharton tale

Netflix has announced that British showrunner Emma Frost, along with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Tracey Cook, will direct a limited-series adaption of author Edith Wharton’s classic novel “The Age of Innocence.”

Set in 19th century New York, Wharton’s novel is about a passionate love triangle between a man, his wife, and a third woman who he knows he should not be in love with, but cannot help himself.

“The new take promises to be true to Wharton’s novel but will speak to a new generation as it traverses the ballrooms and bedrooms of its young characters, asking what is love — and what is lust. And should we ultimately be driven by our heads, or by our hearts?” Netflix says in its announcement of the show.

Just as executive producer Shonda Rimes reinvented “Bridgerton” by introducing diversity into its universe, it sounds as if “The Age of Innocence” may also get a spin on its treatment. And considering that the novel’s original message is a bittersweet one, it will be quite interesting to see if Netflix can pull off the magic of reinventing a bygone era a second time.